While the idea of releasing music after an artist is deceased can be considered disturbing, Michael Jackson’s Xscape is taking back the charts for the King of Pop. Released on May 13, the album features 8 previously unreleased tracks recorded from 1983-1999. The deluxe version of the album includes the eight tracks “contemporized,” but also the original versions from MJ himself.

Where 2010’s Michael fell short, Xscape certainly surpassed the low expectations set by his first posthumous album. Producers Timbaland, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Jerome Harmon, Stargate and John McClane worked to compliment Jackson’s voice with beats and rhythms that wouldn’t steal the show.

“Love Never Felt So Good,” featuring Justin Timberlake, brought the perfect Michael Jackson smash hit of 2014 to the table. As the only edit that actually worked, the catchy beat and smooth lyrics captivate your attention, and Justin Timberlake’s exceptional vocals only elevate the track. Changing almost nothing from the original  version kept the song timely and genuine. You forget you’re listening to a song that didn’t make the cut the first time. It’s not a surprise that Timbaland, who ruined many of the other songs, was not a producer who had touched this song.

Although these songs blew away the negative presumptions set by the album Michael,  echoes of older hits like “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal” can be found throughout the original cuts of “A Place With No Name” and “Xscape,” hastily covered by producers in the new versions. Jackson’s classic vocal range is harshly muted by well-meaning sounds resembling a crashing spaceship on the edited tracks. What L.A. Reid calls “contemporizing,” I would say is closer to “brutally slaughtering.” “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” and “Chicago,” tracks with both soul and vibrancy, were dumbed-down to bland pop songs, made ready for today’s repetitive radio.

The original cuts were much more enjoyable, in every aspect. There are no hints of dubstep or slow ballads forced to be happy radio hits that didn’t fit with the vision Jackson conveyed through his voice. Those who claim that Xscape was a last chance cash grab for MJ should actually pick up the album. The incomplete demo versions left will be remembered for their passion and intensity, however, the newly produced remixes will be forever remembered by the weak adjective “inoffensive.”